Lessonobjectives Cognitive: Students will understand that a person is innocent until proven guilty. In other words, it is important not to “jump to conclusions,” and to think kindly of others. Affective:Students may remember a time when they blamed others who were innocent, just like the farmer did in the story. They will feel sorry and resolve to be more charitable next time. Behavioral: Students will recite kindly thoughts about others. They will describe incidents where others blamed them unfairly and incidents where they blamed others unfairly. They will describe positive human behavior. Class Session 1 Introduce the story by saying that this story is from China, but it could happen anywhere in the world. Tell them that it’s about someone who unfairly blames someone else for stealing something. Call on students to read a few lines at a time. Read the story together.
After reading the story, call on students to retell what happened in their own words. Then ask them what they think the lesson of the story is. Summarize by saying that the farmer should not have “jumped to conclusions” about his lost ax. Explain that this phrase means that a person decides too quickly what happened. Say, “The farmer should have thought about where he might have left his ax first, before blaming his innocent neighbor.” Ask: “Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been wrongly accused for doing something that you didn’t do? Have you ever blamed someone else for something they didn’t do?” Listen to their responses, and let them tell their stories.
Then explain, “We feel hurt when someone accuses us of something we didn’t do. Furthermore, we may feel embarrassed if we blame someone for something they didn’t do. A person may not want to be our friend if we wrongly accuse him or her. So we all have to be careful and think kindly of others.”
Ask students to imagine what might have happened if the farmer had gone up to his neighbor and angrily accused him before looking around for his ax. Call on students to tell you how the story could have ended differently. Then say that, fortunately, the farmer listened to his wife’s advice, looked around the yard, and found the ax. Go on to explain that the good friendship he shared with his honest neighbor continued because he did the right thing; he took responsibility instead of putting the blame on someone else. He said to himself, “Maybe I lost the ax!” which was what really happened after all.
Ask: “How do we think kindly of others? Let’s practice.” Ask students to look at the Exercise in their student books. Lead them in repeating each good thought about others five times. Exercise Repeat each good thought about others five times.
Most people are good.
Most people are honest.
Most people mean no harm.
My family loves me.
I have many good friends.
Class Session 2 Ask the students to read the story on their own and answer the Questions at the end. Define the following vocabulary first: suspicious, complained. Questions
1. Did the neighbor steal the ax?
2. The neighbor was facing the other way when the farmer first came out. What did the farmer think this meant?
3. The neighbor was still facing the other way after the farmer found his ax. What did the farmer think of this once he had found his ax?
4. First, the farmer thought his wife was responsible for the missing ax. Then he thought his son was responsible. After that, he thought his neighbor was responsible. Who was really responsible for the missing ax?
5. Do people tend to blame others first before they take responsibility themselves?
6. Have you ever thought something had been stolen from you, only to find it and realize the people around you were innocent?
Go over the Questions as a class.
Write the words “I believe” and “because” on the board. Ask students to give an example for each good thought, saying the thought out loud, adding “I believe” to the beginning of it and “because” to the end of it and giving a reason from real life.
Model this by doing the first thought. Say something like, “I believe most people are good because last year when I was sick, my neighbors brought food for my whole family.” Choose students who raise their hands to create sentences like these, and ask them to speak out loud for the whole class to hear.
Cognitive: Students will understand that a person is innocent until proven guilty. In other words, it is important not to “jump to conclusions,” and to think kindly of others.
Affective: Students may remember a time when they blamed others who were innocent, just like the farmer did in the story. They will feel sorry and resolve to be more charitable next time.
Behavioral: Students will recite kindly thoughts about others. They will describe incidents where others blamed them unfairly and incidents where they blamed others unfairly. They will describe positive human behavior.
Class Session 1
Introduce the story by saying that this story is from China, but it could happen anywhere in the world. Tell them that it’s about someone who unfairly blames someone else for stealing something. Call on students to read a few lines at a time. Read the story together.
After reading the story, call on students to retell what happened in their own words. Then ask them what they think the lesson of the story is. Summarize by saying that the farmer should not have “jumped to conclusions” about his lost ax. Explain that this phrase means that a person decides too quickly what happened. Say, “The farmer should have thought about where he might have left his ax first, before blaming his innocent neighbor.” Ask: “Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been wrongly accused for doing something that you didn’t do? Have you ever blamed someone else for something they didn’t do?” Listen to their responses, and let them tell their stories.
Then explain, “We feel hurt when someone accuses us of something we didn’t do. Furthermore, we may feel embarrassed if we blame someone for something they didn’t do. A person may not want to be our friend if we wrongly accuse him or her. So we all have to be careful and think kindly of others.”
Ask students to imagine what might have happened if the farmer had gone up to his neighbor and angrily accused him before looking around for his ax. Call on students to tell you how the story could have ended differently. Then say that, fortunately, the farmer listened to his wife’s advice, looked around the yard, and found the ax. Go on to explain that the good friendship he shared with his honest neighbor continued because he did the right thing; he took responsibility instead of putting the blame on someone else. He said to himself, “Maybe I lost the ax!” which was what really happened after all.
Ask: “How do we think kindly of others? Let’s practice.”
Ask students to look at the Exercise in their student books. Lead them in repeating each good thought about others five times.
Exercise
Repeat each good thought about others five times.
Class Session 2
Ask the students to read the story on their own and answer the Questions at the end. Define the following vocabulary first: suspicious, complained.
Questions
1. Did the neighbor steal the ax?
2. The neighbor was facing the other way when the farmer first came out. What did the farmer think this meant?
3. The neighbor was still facing the other way after the farmer found his ax. What did the farmer think of this once he had found his ax?
4. First, the farmer thought his wife was responsible for the missing ax. Then he thought his son was responsible. After that, he thought his neighbor was responsible. Who was really responsible for the missing ax?
5. Do people tend to blame others first before they take responsibility themselves?
6. Have you ever thought something had been stolen from you, only to find it and realize the people around you were innocent?
Go over the Questions as a class.
Write the words “I believe” and “because” on the board. Ask students to give an example for each good thought, saying the thought out loud, adding “I believe” to the beginning of it and “because” to the end of it and giving a reason from real life.
Model this by doing the first thought. Say something like, “I believe most people are good because last year when I was sick, my neighbors brought food for my whole family.” Choose students who raise their hands to create sentences like these, and ask them to speak out loud for the whole class to hear.